Tavern Negotiations Near Breaking Point

The Wall Street Journaladds its voice to the recent spate of stories about the still fruitless negotiations between labor and incoming Tavern operator Dean Poll that would allow one of New York City’s most storied restaurants to finally reopen.

According to the Journal, “The sticking points include the naming of an arbitrator and the solvency of the pension plan.”

Mr. Poll, who also holds the operating license for the Central Park Boathouse, has a long and somewhat unsavory history with labor, as recounted in The Observer a couple of weeks back. Should these negotiations with the New York Hotel Trades Council, which represents the restaurant’s 400-strong staff, fall apart, the city would be forced to take the embarrassing step of beginning the search for a new Tavern operator anew.